If you catch a glimpse of Kayla Edwards outside of school or work, make a note: You’ve just seen something rare.
When she isn’t taking emergency medical services classes at PCC Southwest, Edwards is serving as a work-study in the EMS department. And if she’s not working there, she’s probably in the midst of a shift with Dove Creek Ambulance District in Dolores County, where she is an emergency medical technician captain.
“I’m never not thinking about EMS. This program is my life right now,” she said.
Edwards began taking concurrent enrollment classes at PCC as a sophomore. She tried out welding and automotive classes before switching to nursing assistant courses in her junior year and getting certified in that program.
As a senior, she switched to EMT – she was the only high school student in the class – and discovered her groove.
“I had to work a little bit harder to keep up, but it was definitely the best thing I ever did,” she said. “I’m super close with my professors and peers. I feel like that’s a huge advantage. I guarantee that 10 years down the road ... if I had to call one of these instructors about something, they would pick up. It’s not just a class. These are our friends now.”
Edwards earned her associate degree a year after graduating from high school. One of Edwards’ instructors nominated her this year for the Colorado Community College System’s Rollie Heath Award, which recognizes outstanding students who started their college career through concurrent enrollment. This fall, she will start working on her bachelor’s degree completion in PCC’s advanced paramedic practitioner program.
“This program has been super good at getting me into clinicals so I can get some real hands-on experience with those paramedic skills because they’re way different than basic (EMT) skills,” Edwards said.
Working as an EMS professional in a rural area comes with unique challenges such as large coverage areas and limited medical facilities nearby. The heavy nature of the job itself is another consideration for potential students. Edwards is glad she had the opportunity to explore other programs because it helped her clarify what type of work is most meaningful for her.
“I feel like I’m very well-rounded. Welding, auto, EMS – all those things have made me more skilled and, in some way, a better provider,” she said. “A lot of the classes I’ve taken are (focused on) your career and that’s incredible to have in such a small community – classes that will get you off on the right foot, not just classes that you’ll take once and never think of again. This is stuff that you can make into something real.”
PCC’s smaller class sizes and lower cost were important considerations for Edwards, too.
“I would 100% prefer this experience over a university experience," she said. “I’ve been able to afford this on my own; I’ve been able to live on my own while (attending) college; I’ve been able to work throughout this program, so that’s not something everybody can say.”
